Wishes
by MystressCrowler
Summary: new ch is finally up as well as a name change
1. Adventure on impact

Jaden walked through the center of town. Children played around him; there were a few football (soccer) games, many sitting on benches playing Duel Monsters, and the smallest of the kids splashed in fountain that was located in the center of town. The adults of all ages were lounging, eating, chatting and generally enjoying the summer.

Jaden sat on an empty bench and gave a deep sigh. "Has it really been a year?" He said and thought about all he missed; Duel Academy, all the adventures he had, the people he met, the beach, his favorite tree to sleep under when he was skipping class…

What caught Jaden's attention was the shimmer of blonde hair in the afternoon sun. He was stunned at what he saw: an old friend who, like Jaden, was still in her school uniform.

"Alexis?" Jaden said, then stood up and followed his old classmate down random streets. As Jaden followed her, the streets got narrower and narrower. Soon he was alone in an uninhabited alley; the now virtually connected buildings blocked most of the sunlight. The Slifer felt like a lab rat in a maze.

"Jaden," Alexis's soft voice called from behind him, making Jaden turn. Her outfit, however, made Jaden blush. She was now in a royal blue, lacey bra and panties. He eyed her well-exposed body up and down.

"Lex! What are you wearing!" Jaden shouted and left his jaw hanging open.

Alexis giggled and ran her hand along were lace meets skin. "Come on, Jaden, your going to miss all the fun." She whispered and slipped around the corner.

"Lex!" Jaden yelled as he threw himself around the corner, but, when he looked down the street, he saw no one. He had walked half way down the street when he saw a shadow coming from behind him. His breathing became shallow and rapid as he turned around. What he saw was a shadowy figure bringing a blunt object down. As it hit his head, it sent a horrendous pain across his skull. Everything went dark before he hit the ground.

* * *

The cold water snapped Jaden back to consciousness. He thrashed about when he realized that he was now bound to a chair and had a bag covering his head. A punch to the face stilled him. Then the bag over his head was violently ripped off his head. Jaden slowly turned his head to see his attacker.

There were actually two people in this windowless bit of despair of a room, which was lit only by a single candle. The taller of the two was an emaciated and pallid young man in his mid-twenties. He had waist length black hair. What stood out most of all were his shockingly green eyes that peered out from his long, gaunt face. The smaller second was a girl who looked about fourteen and to be a relative of the other. She had a stronger frame, and a healthier complexion than the other. She held the burlap sack that was once over Jaden's head.

Jaden squinted in the dim light. "You guys forget to pay the electric bill?" He said.

The girl responded by performing a round house kick to Jaden's face. The blow turned Jaden's face to a table were a faint meow could be heard. Blood slithered down his dropped jaw.

"My sister is eager to begin our work," the man said with a slick voice, "You may call me Big Brother and this is Brigid." He became aware of what Jaden was looking at. He walked to the table and patted the pet carrier on it. Inside the carrier, Jaden's feline companion, Pharoh, had his furry face pressed against the door in fear of his human's safety. "Oh, don't worry about him. I'll take good care of him," he said with a softer voice than before.

"What! What's going on? What are you up to?" Jaden shouted.

"Ooo, the simpleton's stereotypical statement that's going to make us tell our plans like some korny _James Bond_ flick." Big brother said.

"Stereotypical? I thought that was the obvious response." Jaden thought.

"Brigid, if you would please dispose of Mr. Yuki."

Brigid cut her brother off. "I wana be Pyro."

"That's far too common a name for my sister," Big Brother said, "Now, deal with him so we can start the operation." He shut the door quietly behind him when he left the room with Pharoh. He could almost taste Jaden's dread of being left alone with his sadistic sister.


	2. Quiver

"So you're the big hero we should be afraid of," Brigid said while studying Jaden, "You don't look like much to me."

Jaden smirked. "If you hadn't beaten me up, I'd think you're cute."

Brigid nut checked him for that. As Jaden leaned forward trying not to cry, Brigid went to a box on the other side of the room.

"So what? We duel for my life right? I should warn you. I've done this a lot longer than you." Jaden said blinking back tears. He looked up and felt his stomach drop.

Brigid was standing in front of him with a sawed-off shotgun in her hands and a sick smile on her face. "Actually I'm gonna blow half your face off with this," She said and took aim, "Then I'll cut the rest up into little pieces and mail them to your all your friends."

Brigid didn't get her wish. She was lifted off the ground by an invisible force, at least one invisible to her. Through Jaden's eyes he saw Yubel holding the girl. "You will NOT hurt Jaden." Yubel said.

"Y-you have powers like us?!" Brigid said, unable to hear Yubel. The fallen angel threw the girl into a wall, knocking the brat out. There was to more crashes shortly after Yubel looked up.

"Help's on the way." Yubel said then disappeared like the Cheshire-cat leaving Jaden tied to the chair hoping help would come before the girl woke up.

Jaden shortly heard two loud crashes and later someone singing…_The Emo Kid Song_?!

* * *

Jaden was still unconscious when Hassleberry picked the lock on the back door. No one noticed him or his friends creep into the backyard in the shady neighborhood. Hassleberry quietly opened the door, and with a haughty air, Chaz Princeton marched in. He seemed wary of the dust getting on his black sweater and jeans (Which was the logical thing to wear at the warm start of summer.) Alexis Roades walked in delicate and more sensible dress followed by the timid Syrus Truesdale who tip-toed in. A floating orb that was the spirit of Professor Lyman Banner hid behind his back. Tyranno Hassleberry went in last closing the door behind him.

"I don't think our cover was blown." Hassleberry said as he handed out flashlights.

Chaz scan what looked to have once been a den with his flashlight. He stopped on a chair that was cut to shreds. "I hope Jaden's not like that." He thought.

The group split up to look for their friend; Alexis and Syrus headed up stairs, Chaz went down one hallway, and Hassleberry another.

* * *

As Hassleberry and the others made their way in, Big Brother slinked out the hidden room were Jaden was being held prisoner. Pharoh meowed angrily as he was transported.

Big Brother ignored the cat's protest, "I really should thank Someday Rose for all her wonderful illusions. He walked down the hall to the room he shared with his girlfriend. He quietly opened the door so he could watch her sleep.

He must not have been quiet enough. She shifted on the dirty mattress she was sleeping on, her meek voice barely reached his ears. "Jasper"

"Yeah it's me," Jasper (a.k.a Big Brother) said softly to his love. He dropped onto the floor, where the mattress laid and climbed on top of his darling Eleanor. They kissed roughly as Jasper took his shirt off, breaking the lip lock for a moment. Loud meows were the only thing that could stop them.

"A cat?" his confused dearest said.

"Oh, yes I got us a pet." Jasper said. He let Pharoh out and the cat ran to any hiding place he could find. Jasper smiled at the cat's actions then noticed his girl's grim expression. "What's wrong Eleanor?"

"Do we really have to kill people?" she asked and her light brown eyes watered.

"To make an omelet you break eggs, to make a utopia you get rid of those who don't agree with you." He said with a dreary tone.

"You don't actually believe that?!"

"No, but the boss does, and remember he promised to give us the Caribbean to rule. So I'll go along with his plan." He looked at her body. "Now let's get back to what we really want." He ripped the blanket off of her after saying that. He laid her down and licked one of her pink nipples, as his hand ran down her slender body, his finger bushed passed her pubic hair. She moaned his name as his fingers entered her. He was unbuckling his pants with his other hand, thinking about pounding it into her, when his phone went off.

"Please tell me you're not going to get that." She panted while holding the sides of the mattress and spreading her legs as far as she could.

"Nope, I'm think I'll take my pants off." He said and did, but after the caller rang three times, he surrendered.

"What the hell is so damn important, Someday." He said as Eleanor crawled to his lap to give him a blow job.

Someday Rose's honey sweet voice dripped from the phone. "Well, I thought our target's friends' breaking in was but if you're too busy I guess I'll handle it."


	3. Haunting Hallucinations

Chaz gazed at Alexis moving up stairs with Syrus and Banner before he began his search of rooms. He entered into one room that smelled of musty old books. While scanning the room, white orbs of dust floated in front of Chaz's flashlight in a slow, dream-like manner. Two abrupt, tremendous crashes spun Chaz around, leading his light to fall on Alexis standing in front of the door.

At least what he thought was Alexis.

"Lex?" He asked.

Alexis spoke softly to Chaz. "I had to ditch Sy and come see you." The orbs spun around her accenting her beauty.

Chaz noticed something else her eyes. They were dead, like a doll's. "Lex something's wrong." Alexis just smiled in a haunting way that she never did before. Chaz caught this in a heartbeat. "You're not Alexis!"

The Alexis-like thing in front of him came towards him grinning wider and wider as it got closer to him. Chaz screamed at the grotesque grin, it stretched from ear to ear, and her lips stretched back reviling sharp fangs.

"Lex, I don't think it's safe up here." Syrus whined.

"Stop whimpering, we have to find Jaden." Alexis snapped at the young bluette. Syrus flinched at the uncharacteristic harshness in her voice. "Come on." She scolded from the top of the stairs. She made a couple of feet on to the second floor before it gave way.

"Alexis!" Syrus yelled, but the sound of cracking and crashing floor boards over powered his voice. He ran to the hole and yelled again.

"I'm fine." Alexis shouted from the closet under the stairs.

"Well that's a…," Banner said but stopped when he an unidentified thing creep in to a hole in the ceiling. "What was that?" he said and took of after it.

"Sam hill!" Hassleberry said before running toward the loud crash, abandoning the door he was about to open.

"W-wha was some outside are door!" Eleanor said from behind that door.

Hassleberry made it to the staircase as Alexis came out from under them. A booming crash drew them under the crumbling steps. Syrus poked his head out of the darkness.

"I fell though the stairs." He said though a cough. He and Alexis took a moment to dust themselves off, but were unsuccessful.

Out of the blue, a scream ripped them from the moment and the trio ran to find the source. They found it was Chaz. Still in the room with the Alexis monster, he had crawled into the corner. The beast's once human arms had changed into filthy avian wings and the legs were lion-like with an apparent affliction of mange. The thing flew up into the air and geared up to strike. Hassleberry yelled and grabbed a book. He launched to at the fiend, but before the book reached it, the thing vanished. The four looked up in shock. A cold laugh brought them to the other side of the room.


	4. Someday Rose

Author's notes: Finally the next chapter is done! Sorry for the wait I've been a bit busy…

Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always read and review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters. Repeat: I do not own Yu-gi oh GX or its characters.

On the other side of the room, candles on both end of the ratty couch lit themselves. An eye-catching young woman was reviled sitting on the couch. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties, with vibrant hot pink eyes that seemed more fitting on a doll. Her deep red curls rested on lily white shoulders. Poor Hassleberry was in love from the moment he saw her.

"You ruined my fun you naughty boy." Her voice was soft like the silk and lace gloves she was wearing and her words from her full, pink lips came gently like butterflies. "Good thing you're cute or punishing you would be no fun." She stood up, and everyone realized she was quite tall. "Do you want to be punished?" she asked and activated her, previously unmentioned, pink and gold duel disk.

"Sure," Hassleberry said. "Say, uh you're not a doll spirit or anything?"

"Huh?" the woman asked.

"No, she's mine." Alexis said and stood in front of Hassleberry.

"Alexis you can't. I won't let you do anything this dangerous." Chaz interjected.

Alexis's jaw dropped. "It's not up to you, you vile Emo brat!"

"Ooooooh!" Syrus and Hassleberry said in union.

"Now get out of here, and never tell me what I can or can't do again." Alexis said to a crushed Chaz.

Chaz and his gravely wounded heart left the room slumped over. Hassleberry and Syrus followed snickering.

Alexis activated her duel disk and summoned a Cyber Tutu. Then she placed a face down on the field to end her turn.

"Since you're not polite enough to introduce your self, I guess I will. I am Someday Rose the illusionist." Someday started her turn with a draw.

As they were dueling Chaz, Hassleberry, and Syrus searched for Jaden. Hassleberry had an idea.

"He's emo Chaz nonconforming as can be." He sang under his breath.

Syrus caught on and picked up were Hassleberry left off. "You'd be nonconforming too if you were just like him." Syrus sang a little louder.

Chaz already had a short fuse but Syrus and Hassleberry should have known better. He grabbed Syrus and flung him against the wall. Syrus fell through it. Chaz and Hassleberry gaped at their disappearing friend. They went though and found Syrus at the bottom of a very poor looking set of stairs.

"Is someone out there?" A familiar yell came from behind a door a little past Syrus's head.

As the three separated from Alexis, Hassleberry got an idea. "Emo Chaz nonconforming as can be." He sang.

"Shut it," Chaz warned. His temper was very impaired at the moment.

Syrus didn't listen. "You'd be nonconforming too if you'd be just like him."

Chaz snapped "RAAAA!" He screamed and tossed Syrus into the wall but Syrus went through it. The two gaped at their vanishing friend. They followed him and found him at the bottom of a very poor looking set of stairs.

"Is someone out there?" A familiar voice asked from behind the door a little past Syrus's head.

"JADEN!" the three yelled. They threw the door open and Jaden hissed.

"Shush" Jaden said and nodded to the unconscious body of Brigid. The three untied Jaden and they quietly slipped out and up the creaking stairs. They made it to the top with Hassleberry in front and Syrus in the rear. Syrus was the last one on the stairs when the doorframe next to him exploded with a thunderous bang. Syrus fell and covered his ears. The rest turned saw Brigid at the bottom of the short flight of stairs holding the sawed off shotgun and grinning madly.

As the mad girl threated Jaden and his friends, Banner returned to Pharaoh and heard Jason and Eleanor's plan.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. What's going on?

Author's notes: this is the next chapter after Jaden is rescued.

Before you read this chapter, I have a few things to clear up. First I am sorry if I somehow mislead anyone when it comes to what this story's about. This is an action/adventure story first. The romance part is really a side story for humor and a break from the main story. To give a comparison it's like the Harry Potter side story with Hermione and the house elves. The only reason I included it is that it comes up every now and again. Also I don't care for the nervous kid romance so I won't right it. In fact (spoiler alert) I'm not writing Jaden as a virgin in this story. I understand if people don't like that. No one has to. You can even tell me why in a review just be civil about it like some have told me. And I would like it if people pointed out the spelling errors just without venom shoved into it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the yu-gi oh GX series. My original characters are mine though.

Syrus covered his ears and fell to his knees and Brigid walked up the stairs, the sawed off shotgun shaking in her hand. Jasper and Eleanor came down the hall. They stopped.

"Good," Jasper said but did not sound convincing. "Finish them off and meet us outside." Eleanor and he then took off.

Brigid came up the stairs. As she stepped on each step, the wood gave an awful groan. She directed it on Jaden. Her ear to ear smile somehow got wider as she reached the top step. She shoved Syrus onto the floor then fell though the top step as the wood bent into two. The group leaned over after they didn't hear a sound from the lunatic. She was unconscious on the floor…again.

"Ah…good I was hoping I would find you-" Banner said from inside Pharaoh, "will someone get the cat!" He said as the cat walked past the group.

"WHY IS EVERYONE LOOKING AT THE CAT!" Syrus yelled.

"Why are you yelling, Sy?" Jaden asked.

"WHAT? OH SLIFER I CAN'T HEAR!" Syrus yelled.

"We have to get out of here!" Banner said as Pharaoh turned a corner.

"Let's go!" Hassleberry said and picked up Syrus and pharaoh with the same amount of ease.

They soon found Alexis. She was outside the room they left her in. She was about to chase after Someday Rose. Jaden and Chaz grabbed one of her arms and dragged her out to the den they first came in from.

Jasper came back to the hall which now reeked of gasoline. He brought his sister back from the floor and out of the house before she woke up.

"Bro…" She whispered.

"We need fire." He whispered back and hugged her. She soon was standing up and looking at a moldy curtain. It burst into flames and fell onto the floor. Fire spread through the house and quickly reached the pile of gas and other explosives.

Jaden and his friends fell to the ground from the force of the explosion. Glass fell on top of them and their primal fear of fire was the only thing that could get them to get up in spite of their pain and make it to Chaz's rental car.

The kidnappers headed down back alleys until they came across an aged man with a lantern.

"Architect!" Brigid shouted and bolted for the old man. The man groaned as the girl slammed into him. She hugged him.

"How did it go?" He asked Jasper.

"The target is up in smoke." He said.

"Excellent," the old man said letting a little of his German accent slip out.

Five young adults drove down the streets of the small Italian town. They had left the bumpy uncared for streets of the poorer areas to the smooth pavement of the well-to-do part of town. On the way they explained to Jaden how after they did not see him at the tournament the friends went looking. They found Banner's spirit and he told them what had happened at the apartment. He led them to the building. Then Jaden had to explain when he found out Banner's spirit hadn't left and when he was planning to share this detail with his friends.

Chaz stopped the car. "These curving streets are too dangerous in this black out, and we're low on gas." He said. He got out of the car and got some tubing and a gas can. "I saw a hummer a ways back. I think they can spare some." He got a hoodie out the back seat, against the wishes of a bored Pharaoh. He slipped it on and headed off into the dark.

Alexis leaned out the front passenger window and shouted. "Be careful Chaz!"

Chaz turned back and nearly fell because he was so over joyed. He turned back and waved before heading back on his quest for gas.

Soon after he left Alexis got out of the car. "Jaden let's talk." She said.

"Okay," Jaden said and folded his arms on the open window.

"Alone," Alexis hissed.

Jaden found himself being shoved out of the car by Hassleberry and Syrus. Propelled from the car, he seemed to have little choice than to go with Alexis down the dark streets. A minuet into their walk he wondered why she hadn't said a word since "let's talk." That was when he realized she was crying.

"Alexis! What's wrong?" Jaden said as he pulled by the shoulders to face him.

"You have any idea how much danger you get into! You could have died tonight! I could have… I could have lost you." She said and more tears came. She threw herself onto him. He felt her warm tears as she pulled back a little and kissed him.

Pharaoh and Banner were not far behind Banner seemed to recognize this neighborhood.

"Hey, this is-."

Author's notes: come back next time, to see what's so special about this neighborhood and how does Jaden and Alexis's night goes.


	6. I Love You

Author's note: The sixth chapter. Sorry it took so long the notebooks with the chapters vanished. I own nothing but my ocs and situations. Please read and review.

Jaden and Alexis where soon out of ear shot of the others including Pharaoh and Banner who had not caught up yet. The two had only a flashlight to see what was ahead of them.

"Jaden," Alexis said and leaned onto his shoulder.

Jaden's heart started to race. "Uh, do you see those lights." Jaden said and pointed up to a faint glow over a vine covered stone fence. "You think they can help?"

Alexis pulled Jaden to face her and kissed him. She pulled back and whispered, "I love you."

Jaden just kissed her back then the sound of a yelp and a crunch made them part. Jaden pulled Alexis to him. "What was that?"

"An animal I guess." Alexis said. "Let's head back."

"What if it's not?"

"What do you mean Jaden?" Alexis asked as Pharaoh and Banner came up behind them.

"What if it's not an animal? Someone has to warn them." Jaden said.

"Jaden don't be stu-." Alexis said but Jaden cut her off with a kiss. "Alright," she said, "but only because I can't stop you."

"Great! See you at the car!" He said and took off.

"But I thought we'd go together." She first said but ended in a whimper.

"If I had a body I'd hit him." Banner said as Pharaoh followed Jaden. "Pharaoh, Alexis need us, not Jaden. Right Alexis … Alexis"

Alexis had already left and Pharaoh was still following Jaden. Jaden had found an open gate and walked up what he felt was a cobblestone drive way. Soon he saw the lantern and a shadow of the owner of the property who also was alert because of the sound.

"Hello," Jaden said and the person jumped. "I'm sorry but I wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Jaden?" the man said with a familiar voice.

"Crowler?"


	7. Chapter 7

Author's comments: Sorry it's been so long I pulled a muscle on my stomach and couldn't sit to type. It took a month to heal and then I had a lot of stuff that was on the back burner. I've also been a little down because I've lost some of my faith in humanity.

"Jaden!" Crowler yelled as he glomped his old student.

After Jaden got his wind back, he wheezed "Good to see you too, Doctor C." Although he couldn't actually see because of Crowler's hair, it had covered Jaden's face.

Crowler rocked Jaden a little before letting him go. "What are you doing here? Oh come into the light let me have a better look." Crowler said and pulled him towards the small lantern he had brought out with him.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Jaden said as Crowler pulled him to the light.

Crowler's face was half in the shadows but what Jaden could see was in stunned horror. "What happened, Jaden?" he asked.

"Nothing." Jaden said.

"Don't give me that! Did you get into a fight?"

"No, nothing like that." Jaden said then he sighed and took a seat on the stone bench that the lantern was sitting on before telling him everything that had happened that night.

As Jaden told Crowler of his miserable night, Chaz came back with the red can full of gas. With the ease that he carried it a passer-by would have thought it was empty. He didn't stop at the gas cap first though, he went to the front passenger door and held up the can like he was the puppy that brought back a stick for the first time before he realized she wasn't there.

"Where's Alexis?" He asked with a worried tone. Then he asked "Where's Jaden?" in a grim one.

"Sorry Soldier," Hassleberry said.

Chaz felt his heart sink with the can in his hands that, at that moment, felt surprisingly heavy.

Hassleberry took the can and filled the tank so Chaz could sulk in the driver seat. After Hassleberry put the gas cap back on, Alexis came back and went to her seat and sulk.

Hassleberry and Syrus both asked, "Where's Jaden."

All Alexis gave then was an icy stare.

Chaz had a different question "What did he do?"

Alexis didn't answer and soon Jaden came around the corner with Crowler.

"Hey General!" Hassleberry yelled and he and Syrus ran up to their teacher.

"Why can't you call me Doctor?" Crowler groaned.

Chaz pulled Jaden aside from the other and hissed to him, "What happened between you and Alexis?"

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

Chaz was about to strangle Jaden when he realized something. He was just the same immature, oblivious idiot. He knew it was wrong but he had to take advantage of him. "Don't worry about it, just forget I said anything." He did his best to put a whimper in his voice as he whispered, "Take care of her" under his breath as if he didn't want Jaden to hear him. As usual, he was too obvious. Luckily, no one else heard him.

Jaden said, "What."

Chaz just said, "I didn't say anything."

Just as he would have in their days as students, Jaden gave Chaz a concerned look and said, "alright Chaz." Jaden walked over to Cyrus and the others.

"So what are you doing up so late?" Syrus asked Crowler.

"Uh well, um … the black out! Yes, it's so warm inside so I stepped out." Crowler said.

"And got dressed?" Hassleberry asked.

"Well, of course," Crowler said, "you never know who you will run into." He turned his head back to where his home was.

The lights soon went back on after that and Jaden could see that Crowler's clothing has dirt and grass on much of the front. He just assumed that Crowler must have fallen in the dark.

"We should get going," Chaz said, "Chancellor Shepard is waiting back at the hotel."

"Hotel? Shepard?" Jaden and Crowler said together.

"Yeah, my family owns a hotel here. I got everyone rooms." Chaz said.

Jaden laughed. "I bet they're better than my motel room." He said.

"I'm pretty sure of that." Banner said.

Crowler jumped into Jaden's arms. "Why did Banner's voice come from the cat?" He shouted as Jaden tried to hold Crowler up but ended up falling on his backside with Crowler sitting on top of him. "S-Sorry." Crowler said.

Jaden and Crowler got up. "It's alright. Anyway why didn't you guys call me earlier?" He said.

"When was the last time I called someone on the phone?" Syrus asked himself. "Jee, Jay I guess we spend more time on Friend's Place."

"Friend's Place, you mean that website full of annoying girls bulling each other?" Jaden asked.

"Well yeah, Serge, but that's not all it is." Hassleberry said.

Chaz's face was red and he gritted his teeth. "Can we get going?" He shouted. Jaden and the others followed him to the car.

"Can I go with you?" Crowler meekly asked.

"Sure," Jaden said as he got into the car.

Chaz pulled Jaden out of the car by his arm. "Uh I didn't know this was your car."

"Come on Chaz this is Crowler." Jaden said.

"Don't you have your own car?" Chaz asked Crowler.

He responded. "Well it's a bit of a walk."

Jaden and Alexis knew that wasn't very true. Crowler could have walked back and gotten his car.

"Chaz," Alexis said and grabbed his arm, "Let him come." She had noticed something Crowler's eyes that made her think of a hunted animal.

Chaz was nowhere near strong enough to fight her wishes, well actually to fight his own wishes. "Alright, but it will be a little cramped in the back."

They all got in the car and drove to the hotel. After they got in through the glass and golden metal revolving door the whole group tired and dirty got odd looks from the other guest. Only Crowler seemed to notice, or care about, them as he held his head down and hoped no one would notice him.

The hotel had an art deco design. Long off-white pillars made a wide walkway down the center of the lobby where the carpet was solid red. On the either side of the line of pillars, the carpet was still the same red but broken by a gold maze like repeating pattern. Over there were chairs and tables for the guest to sit in. They slowly made their way up the stairs that brought them to the check-in counter. Farthest behind the counter was three rectangles each made of wood and painted a dirty gold and trimmed in black with the tallest and narrowest in front and the shortest and narrowest in the back. In front of the rectangles was a red triangle with the Princeton name suspended on it. There was lights suspended under the name and on the rectangles and they pointed upward creating long shadows and made it look like the man at the counter was emanating darkness.

The man at the counter was a bit older than what Jaden thought a hotel worker normally was. He had a receding hairline and his slicked back brown hair was almost black from how greasy it was. He had sunken eyes and shallow cheeks that made his full lips look fish like. The man eye fell on each one of them for the same amount of time as if he was programed to. Though he didn't really seem to see them, more as if he was looking pass them and they just got in the way.

"Would you like to have two more rooms prepared for your new guest." The man said. Jaden gawked wide eyed at the sound of his voice. He never thought he would ever hear a person sound like Universal Studio monster, not intentionally at least.

"Yeah sure." Chaz said to the man then he said to Jaden "I got a whole floor."

They then went to the glass elevator and rode up to their floor. On the way Alexis tried to hold Jaden's hand but he pulled away looking back at Chaz, who turned away from the both of them being both excited and ashamed.

Jaden had other things on his mind, like who wanted him dead, why they wanted that, and, on a lesser scale, how much his friends have changed. "Even Chaz", Jaden thought. "Normally he would be scheming some way to get with Alexis, but he's actually trying his best to handle the situation."

Alexis just wondered if she'd ever get the chance to kiss him again with those people on the loose.

The elevator came to a stop and they all came out on to a dimly lit floor. There were more colors, but they were all dark except the occasional earthy light brown. Shepard was in a room three doors from the elevator. Jaden was surprised to see how much he had aged. His eyes looked more tired and his beard had silver highlights. Shepard grunted as he got up from his chair and for the first seconds of standing he seemed unsteady.

"It's good to see you again, Jaden. I was worried when I heard about the explosion." Shepard said. His voice hadn't changed much at least. It still seemed calm and caring. He jumped a little when he saw Crowler, who came into the room last. "Crowler! What are you doing here?" Shepard asked.

"Nice to see you too." Crowler said.

"Uh well I guess we should be getting started." Shepard said.

Author's notes: Next chapter might be a while. I'm going back to school next month and I want to be a little lazy before the fall.


End file.
